Inert fluids, particularly inert gases, are useful for controlling the atmosphere of the interior of a container or a vessel. Of these inert fluids, nitrogen gas is commonly utilized for inerting, for example, the interior of a container which is useful for transporting perishable goods or manufacturing semiconductor chips. To supply nitrogen or other inert gases to the interior of a container, various inert gas sources have been utilized. Some of these inert gas sources include cylinders, liquid tanks, membrane gas separation plants and pressure-swing or temperature-swing adsorption plants. The selection of a particular inert gas source for a particular inerting process, however, is dependent on the rate of inerting the interior of a container and the energy (power) consumption associated with the inerting inasmuch as they play important roles in commercial operations. Thus, there is a need to increase the rate of inerting the interior of a container while reducing the power cost associated with the inerting process, regardless what inert gas sources are employed.